For saddles



(No Model.)

H. s. WILT'0N& B. s. WESTON.

SAFETY FITTING FOR SADDLBS.

No. 264,592. 'Patented sept. 19, 1882.

n S 7Ve4ston MN M m m. m W.. m.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HENRY S. WILTON, OF 261 OXFORD STREET, AND BENJAMIN S. WESTON, OF

5 PARKEIOLME ROADDALSTON, COUNTY OF MIDDLESEX, ENGLAND.

SAFETY-FITTING Foa SADDLES,v

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters. Patent No. 264,592, dated September 19, 1882.

Application filed March 23, 1882. (No model.) Patented in England March 15, 18S1,No.1,117,

To all whom it may concern:

Be it'known that we, HENRY STAINES WIL TON and BENJAMIN SAMUEL WESTON, subjects of the Queen of Great Britain, residing respectively at 261 Oxford street and 5 Parkholme Road, Dalston,both in the countyof Middlesex, England, have invented certain new and useful vImprovements in Safety-Fittings for Saddles, (for which we have received Letters Patent in England,No. 1,117, dated March 15, 1881,) of which the followingis a specilication. This invention has for its vobject improvements in safety-'fittings for saddles, by which to set free the stirrup-leathers and avoid the dragging of riders when thrown.

To connect the stirrup-lea't-her with the saddle in accordance with our invention, a buckle .on the stirrup-leather is hooked onto a projec-v tion from a plate iixed to the saddle-tree,`and this projection has a spring trip-piece or buckle holding and releasing device jointed to it, as h'as in some cases previously been done; butin place of making the trip to close against the side of the plate, and otherwise constructing it as heretofore, we make it to close against an inclined stop-pin or conical point which projects out from the plate, as this facilitates the takin g oft' and putting on of thestirru'p-leather. The spring which acts upon the spring-trip we also place at the back of the plate, instead of at the front of the plate, and the tail of the trip we make to pass through a slotin the plate, so that the spring at the back of the plate may act upon it. In onepiece with the spring-trip we also form an arm, which lies against the plate when the trip is closed.l The upper end of the arm is locked, and the trip sov prevented from turning downward by a catch overlapping it. The catch. is hinged to the plate and a lever-arm'extends downward from it. This arm is held in its downward position by the leather skirt or flap of the saddle, which rests against it. While the rider is in the saddle and the leathern skirt or iiap so held down' the stirrup-leather cannot be detached from the saddle, as this stirrup-buckle is locked by the trip; but if the rider is no longer in the saddle, and the skirt-Hap is consequently not kept pressed'down against the lever-arm, the catch will no longer offer any obstruction vto the rerests against the. conical point on the plate.

This construction allows the buckle on the stirrop-leather readily to slip upward along the overlapping portion of the trip, if any rearward drag cornes upon thestirrup-leather. So`

long as the rider is in the saddle the stirrupleather 'cannot beset free, except intentionally and at considerableinconvenience; butif the rider is not in the saddlethe buckle-on the stirrup-leather readily slips upward along the normally-lapping inclined edge of the trip, the

vdragupon the stirrup overcoming the force of the spring which holds the trip in place.

The above and preferred arrangement `of parts for connecting the stirrup-leather with the saddle is shown atFigures 1 and 2, Fig. 1 being a face view, and Fig 2 a cross-section, of the plate and parts carried by it.

A is the plate, which is fixed to the saddletree. B is a projection standing out fromthe same.

C is the trip, having the inclined edge and hinged to the projection B.

C( is a tail-piece on the trip, which passes through a slot in the plate, and is pressed uponvat the back of the plate by a spring, D, whichv holds the'trip C up to and against the inclined sided stop-pin or cone-projection E.

G2 is an arm formed in one piece with the trip O and resting against the plate A.' At its upper end this arm is overlapped by a catch, F, and this catch can turn on pivots, the bearings for which are xed to the plate.

F is an arm descending from the end of one of the pivots. saddle,resting against this arin,holds it downward.- A piece of sheet-steel is fixed to the inner side of the skirt or flap where it bears upon the arm, so as to renderv it rigid. The

The leather skirt or flap of the dotted lines Gr show a portion of the buckle on the stirrup-leather overlapped by the inclined edged portion of the trip.

At Fig. 3 we have shown how the springtrip O, acted upon by a spring, D, in rear of the plate A and closing against a cone-projection, E, may be used without the other parts. At Figs. 4, 5, and 6 we have shown how the trip, in place of being hinged to the projection B, may be hinged to the plate above this projection, the projection B being then made to form a hook, as shown, and the top edge of this hook being formed to an incline, as p reviously described with reference to the trip C.

.The lower edge of trip G is also correspondingly inclined, and has a plate, O",riveted to it to give a broad surface for the leather skirt or flap of the saddle to rest against.

From the above description, with the aid of the drawings, it will readily be seen that, whether the inclinededged support for the stirrup-leather loop or buckle be formed by a hook of the trip C, as in Figs. 1, 2, and 3, or by the hook of the projection B, the stirrup will be freed from the saddle by the automatic disengagement ot" the buckle or loop of the stirrup-leather from its support by backward dragging on the stirrup-leather, the buckle in sliding backward, either over and upon or against and beneath the incline of the trip, causing the trip to rock to release the stirrupleather. It will further be obvious that the eonepoint facilitates removal and replacement of the stirrup-bnckle, the buckle readily slipping along the inclined surface of the cone into or out of place when pulled upon in the proper direction.

We claim as of our own invention- 1. The combination of the saddle-tree plate, the spring at the back thereof,and the hinged trip provided with the inclined edge, and having the tail-piece passing through a slotin the plate and acted upon by the spring, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

2. The combination of the saddle-tree plate, the spring-actuated hinged trip, and the coilepoint, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

3. The combination of the plate A, the projection B, the hinged trip U, provided with the inclined edge and having the tail-piece passing through the-slot of the plate, and the spring at the back of the plate, substantially as and for the purpose hereinbefore set forth.

4. Thecoinbination ofthe plate A, the hinged trip C, the cone-point E, and the spring D at the back of the plate, substantially as and for the purpose herein before set forth.

5.`The combination of the saddle-tree plate, the hinged trip having theinclined upper edge, the spring, and the hinged catch acting on said trip, substantially as and for the purpose hereinbefore set forth.

6. Thecombination of the plate A, the hinged trip C, with inclined upper edge, the springD at the back of the plate, the cone-point E,and the catch F, acting to hold the hinged trip against turning, substantially as and for the purpose hereinbefore set forth.

7. The combination oftheplate A, the hinged trip C, having the arm C2 and the inclined upper edge, the spring D, the catch F, and its arm, substantiallyas and for the purpose hereinbefore set forth.

HENRY STAINES WIL'ION. BENJAMIN SAMUEL WESTON.

Witnesses:

GHAs. BERKLEY HARRIS, J. WATT,

Both of 17 Gracechurch Street, London. 

